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In Texas, grandparents have rights only in very limited circumstances. The general rule is that the parents have a fundamental right to decide how much, if any, access a grandparent should have. There are two different issues when...
Waivers of service are quite common in family law cases in Texas. They do exactly what they say - they waive service of process. A waiver of service does NOT mean that the other person is not contesting anything in the case. When I am trying to...
In any family law case (divorce, child custody, child support, etc.), you may hear the term "discovery" used. Although there are many kinds of discovery, this term is typically used to refer to formal, written discovery. Common types of written...
I recently became board certified in family law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Many attorney advertisements reference the fact that an attorney is or is not board certified. I have to admit that until I started looking into board certification...
This morning, I sat in a courtroom waiting to do a prove up hearing with a client. There were six cases in line before us, and all of those cases were pro se divorce prove ups. If a person is pro se, it means he or she is representing himself or...
Temporary restraining orders ("TROs") can encompass a wide variety of issues in family law cases dealing with both property and children. Often they involve allegations of domestic violence or abuse. A temporary restraining order is granted without a...
If I had a nickel for every post I saw in a Facebook group looking for an "aggressive" family lawyer or a "pit bull" of a family law attorney, I would be a rich woman. These types of requests make me cringe. Instead, I wish people would seek out a good,...
Most, if not all, of the courts in Collin County, Dallas County and Denton County require the parties to mediate before going to trial. Even when mediation is not required, I almost always recommend to clients that they attend mediation. Mediation allows...